''Desperado Corner'' is a play written for the stage by English playwright
Shaun Lawton
Sydney Shaun Lawton (born 1941 in New Marske, North Riding of Yorkshire) is an English playwright, poet, actor and singer/songwriter. Lawton is probably best known for his '' Desperado Corner'', which has been described as a 'sprawling, four-a ...
. It started out as a collection of
performance poems and
monologue
In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
s written and performed by Lawton in London between 1973 and 1976. It is set in the seaside town of
Redcar in the north east of England in 1959.
It premiered at the
Citizens Theatre
The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and is based in Glasgow, Scotland as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and has also included various ...
, in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
, on 16 January 1981, with
Di Trevis
Diane "Di" Trevis (born 8 November 1947) is an English theatre director and actress.
Early life and education
Trevis was born in Birmingham and educated at Sussex University.
Career
After eight years as an actress, which included appearances in ...
directing. Among the cast were
Gary Oldman,
Jim Cartwright and
Mark Rylance.
Modern British Playwriting: The 1980s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations, p 99
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It was staged that same year at the Citizens, this time directed by Robert David MacDonald.
That same year, 1981, there was also a production of the play by final year students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...
at their Vanbrugh Theatre in London.
References
British plays